WATCH YOUR WEIGHT WHILE AT HOME WATCH YOUR WEIGHT WHILE AT HOME DR HANSAJI J. YOGENDRA AND THE YOGA INSTITUTE Published by Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd 2020 7/16, Ansari Road, Daryaganj New Delhi 110002 Sales Centres: Allahabad Bengaluru Chennai Hyderabad Jaipur Kathmandu Kolkata Mumbai Copyright © The Yoga Institute 2020 The views and opinions expressed in this book are the author’s own and the facts are as reported by him which have been verified to the extent possible, and the publishers are not in any way liable for the same. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISBN: 978-93-5333-XXX-X First impression 2020 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The moral right of the author has been asserted. Printed at ?????? This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated, without the publisher’s prior consent, in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published. CONTENTS 1. Why to Lose Weight 7 2. First Aadhar is Yogic Aahar 8 3. Mind it…! 10 4. Walk-it-out 11 5. Just Stretching 12 6. Move Your Body with Asanaa 13 7. Breathe Right 17 8. Rest to Reset 19 9. Bye-bye Stress! 20 10. Little Habits Go A Long Way 21 11. The Power of Positive Thinking 22 12. Good Health Mantra 23 13. FAQs on Weight Loss 24 Acknowledgement 26 1 WHY TO LOSE WEIGHT More and more people are getting obsessed with weight loss, which is great. However, the intent behind weight loss is also important. A person shouldn’t get obsessed with it just because they want to wear their old clothes, size down, or be like their favourite celebrity. The main reason to lose weight is to attain good health. Obesity is a silent pandemic; even bigger than Corona. Excess weight can lead to health disorders like diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension and high blood pressure. Yoga offers holistic health solutions, where the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects are made critical to the weight loss process. And the best part is that yoga can be done in the comfort of your own home. Weight loss is actually quite an easy process. But what’s important is to balance it out. It shouldn’t make you look weak and pale; it should give you good health and strength. Yoga says, ‘When you are able to put your mind wholeheartedly towards something, your body becomes active, and you are able to achieve it.’ The same applies to weight loss. Yoga combined with Aharveda nutritional guidance and correct breathing technique can be a highly effective tool for sustainable weight loss! 7 2 FIRST AADHAR IS YOGIC AAHAR Food plays an important role in your weight loss journey. Simply exercising and doing asanas won’t give you the desired results. You also need to complement it with a good, healthy and clean diet. You are what you eat. You need to be more mindful, of not only what you eat but also how you eat. Chew your food slowly, as it is also a good mindful practice, as well as it helps you to avoid over-eating. Chew, chew, chew your food, Gently through the meal. The more you chew, the less you eat, The better you would feel. Eat when your body feels hungry and not when the clock says, ‘meal time!’ For every individual, the food requirement is going to be different. It depends on your age, work, climate, and body requirement. Always listen to what your body is trying to tell you. A Sattvik diet is light, easier to digest and goes a long way in supporting weight loss, as compared to heavy Rajasik food and Tamasik food which will only make you lethargic. Try to follow the guidelines of Mitaahara, that is, the habit of eating in moderation. Yoga recommends that you fill 1/2 stomach with food, 1/4 with liquids, and let the remaining 1/4 be empty for the gases to freely move around. We must not overeat and put extra pressure on the digestive system, because that leads to weight gain. You must include a lot of fresh local vegetables and seasonal fruits in your diet. However, if you aren’t able to get your hands on the vegetables, use whatever healthy items you have in the house. You can make a lot of things out of whole grains, pulses, seeds, sprouts, dried nuts, honey, fresh herbs, milk and dairy products, raw vegetables, and healthy soups. Fruits and vegetables are high in fibre content, low in calories and the fat content is low as well. They are packed with essential minerals and vitamins; which can also improve the tone of your skin and prevent premature ageing. It can get difficult to be at home during lockdown, but that doesn’t mean you open your fridge every 30 minutes to see what you can eat. Don’t let boredom be the cause for your binge-eating and late- night munchies. Even though Yoga doesn’t recommend eating late at night but if at all hunger strikes pastmidnight, ensure that you make healthy food choices and not packaged or processed food items. During this time, you can munch on nuts, chana, or simple homemade popcorn. Replace unhealthy food items with healthier options like sugar with jaggery or honey, white flour with wheat flour, chips with potato wedges, tea and coffee with herbal or green tea, butter with ghee, icecream with yogurt, and chocolates with dark chocolates. Just these little replacements can go a long way to help you lose weight. 9 3 MIND IT…! There is so much ‘new’ in the world that we want to do it all! When it comes to weight loss, people become so desperate that they want to try every new trend, diet, recipe, detox regime and hacks! Our minds are constantly bombarded with so many new things that we can’t figure out what to let go. However, listen to everyone, try to understand the core message behind it, and do what suits you and your body. It is very difficult to control the mind. The first step would always be to calm it down and do one thing at a time. Once your mind accepts something, it is easier for your body to accept it too. Train your mind to not give in to procrastination and lazing around. Let the mind be active and dedicated, and the body will follow. Once you understand this, your mind will stop bothering you. Plan things and don’t get distracted from your ultimate goal of weight loss. It all depends on you how you live your life, whether it’s with positivity, zest and enthusiasm or stress, tension and worry. Bhavas and attitude training is very much a part of the Yogic lifestyle. Techniques like Nishpanda Bhavana and Pratipaksha Bhavana further help to condition our consciousness. 10 4 WALK-IT-OUT Walking is one of the best and easiest ways to lose weight at home. I always recommend walking for 30 minutes, twice a day. Your morning routine must include walking. Since the body is a little stiff in the morning because of a good night’s sleep, I would suggest that you take a walk first and then practice your asanas so that your body has warmed up. If you cannot go out, try walking around the house.. If that doesn’t suit you, then you could also do some spot walking–simply march in one place, lifting your knees as high as you can and let your arms swing. This will not only help you to lose weight but is also an instant mood lifter, try it and see. Walking is a complete body workout. It would be further beneficial if you practice mindful walking as if you are walking for the first time, ever. Be aware of each and every step, your feet, your arms, your breath, the environment around you, the wind touching your skin, and even the sweat. Try to be one with your activity and get the most out of it. Slowly, it will start showing you positive results in the body. So, walk as much as you can, whenever you can. Once the lockdown ends, you can also park your cars a little away from your final destination so that you can walk a little. 11 5 JUST STRETCHING You must always start and finish all your yoga practices with some gentle stretches, known as Sahaj Bhavasanas. • Loosen up and free your neck by doing slow rotations in a clockwise and anticlockwise direction, looking up and down, and side-to-side. • Practice Yastikasana whenever you can. It’s a simple technique in which you pull your arms above your head and toes downward. Basically, you stretch and pull your body in opposite directions. You can do this in bed as soon as you wake up, or in the middle of the day as well. • Gentle shoulder rotations also help to open up the tight shoulder joints. • You can also do Namaskar Mudra but behind your back! • Don’t forget to stretch and relax the wrist and ankle joints as well. • In the standing position, gently bend forward and backward to loosen up the back muscles.